1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for the protection of the human head from soft tissue damage resulting from impulsive loading as a result of impacts from blunt objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The reduction of injury resulting from the effect of head and body impacts has been the subject of research for many years, particularly in the fields of automotive and military research. One commonplace strategy to mitigate the effect of impact on the body is to interpose a layer of protective material between the body and the source of impact. This is especially so in relation to head injuries, with head protection provided in the form of a helmet.
Infants and small children are especially susceptible to banging their heads on hard surfaces due to falls or slips. The typical infant or small child will sustain multiple falls on hard surfaces before it can learn to sit, crawl or walk. For example, infants often crawl beneath chairs and tables. While underneath these items, the child will bang her head when attempting to stand up or lift her head. While the resulting injuries are not life threatening, they cause swelling and bruising about the head. Moreover, the bang or bump to the head is quite traumatic, causing the child to cry or become agitated.
Small children capable of walking or running are particularly vulnerable to falls against table corners, walls and other hard, pointed surfaces. In some instances, serious head injuries can result when a child bangs his or her head against any of these items.
Much of the protective headgear currently available for infants and children is neither fashionable, comfortable nor effective. Many are usually bulky and restrictive. Also, most of a the current protective headgear for small children and infants is not enjoyable to wear, nor is it designed for use in the house during daily activities such as playing, crawling, and learning to walk. Much of the protective headgear for children is designed for outdoor athletic activities, such as soccer, baseball and other contact sports, and is not suitable for everyday wear.
The present invention overcomes the problems of currently available protective headgear by providing a head protector that is attractive, comfortable and effectively provides the infant or child head protection for extended periods of time in a fun, enjoyable manner. The present invention is also low cost and may be worn daily by the infant or child.
A number of examples of known techniques for protection of the human head as described in the patent literature will now be mentioned. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,825 to Bell et al., for example, A protective material and a method for the protection of the human head from soft tissue damage caused by an impacting object is provided by a composition having at least two layers of viscoelastic polymeric material. A first layer of the material is substantially matched in acoustic impedance to the impacting object and a second layer of material is selected to produce a large mismatch in acoustic impedance between the first layer and the human head.
Another disclosure is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,881 to Picotte which is directed to a child's or infant's hat for protection of at least the sides, top or rear of the wearer's head from injuries due to falls or bumps against hard objects. The Picotte head protector includes a cap member with one or more flexible, resilient shock absorbent fluid-containing pads and an outer covering of pliable fabric material.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,838 to Sontag, an adjustable hood is provided which includes a hood portion having a face opening and a rear portion disposed substantially opposite to the face opening, the face opening including a first edge portion and a second edge portion, the first edge portion having first and second spaced apart ends. The adjustable hood also includes a neck portion which is receivable in the hood portion and a cord disposed at the first edge portion of the face opening, the cord being extendable (i) away from the first edge portion of the respective first and second ends, and (ii) towards the rear portion of the hood. A plurality of clamp elements are operable to move along the cord and fixedly engage the cord such that the cord draws the first edge portion of the face opening towards the face of the user when it is extended from and engaged by a pair of the clamp elements at the first and second ends.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,715 to Gregg, III et al., a head protector includes two bands of material, one of which extends from beneath the chin to the top of the head, and the other of which extends from the forehead to the rear of the head. These bands are interconnected together to form a unitary device although, if desired, each band may be used individually. Each band includes padded portions which are preferably filled with a silastic gelin material which is located in areas designed to protect the eye sockets and eyes, zygoma, temporal bones and occiput which are the major bone complexes making up the lower sides and lower back of the skull.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,937 to Mason et al. discloses a sitting support and head protection ring for protecting the head of an infant trying to sit up but not yet strong enough. Included are a primary ring configured to conform to the shape of the buttocks, legs and feet of a sitting infant so that the infant is held snugly, the ring being made of a soft yet supportive material. The ring also includes back and head support members provided integrally to the ring for supporting a sitting infant. The protection ring is configured so that when an infant falls, its head falls upon the soft ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,637 to Steele et al. discloses a head protector for children and invalids which includes a series of concentric rings of tubular fabric packed with yieldable material and a top member of yieldable material. Straps bind the rings and top together, a ring of spaced cushions, or pillows, being positioned between the lowermost ring and the adjacent ring, and a device for positioning the protector on a user's head and preventing rearward movement.
It was with knowledge of the foregoing state of the technology that the present invention has been conceived and is now reduced to practice.